'The parking spaces outside a Chinese shopping mall are distinctive: marked out in pink, signposted "Respectfully reserved for women", and around 30 centimetres wider than normal.
The slots at the Dashijiedaduhui -- or "World Metropolis" -- centre have sparked debate in China, which officially embraces gender equality but where old-fashioned sexism is rife in reality.
the 10 spaces outside the main entrance were provided after women had trouble parking in the standard basement slots, managers said.
"I think this is very convenient," said user Yong Mei. "Other parking spaces are too narrow."
"It's not gender biased," she told AFP. "It's just that women have a few issues with vision when parking."
But outraged commentators on Chinese social media accused the mall managers of sexism and cliched thinking.
"This is supposed to respect women, but actually it's an insult," said one.
The parking initiative is not unprecedented -- other countries have similar female-dedicated spaces, including South Korea and various European nations.
The latest Chinese controversy echoes a series of microblog posts Beijing police made last year advising women on driving techniques -- including not wearing high heels, releasing the handbrake before setting off, and not panicking if they suddenly realise they're going the wrong way.
"Some women drivers lack a sense of direction, and while driving a car, they often hesitate and are indecisive about which road they should take," reads one of the entries on the police department's verified microblog.
Another featured a cartoon depicting a confrontation between a police officer and a woman driving a vehicle shaped like a large red high-heel shoe.
According to a World Health Organization estimate in March 2013, globally males are more likely to be involved in accidents than females, and 77 percent of all road traffic deaths occur among men.'
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/plus-sized-parking-spaces-chinese-women-drivers-022323971.html#h17kcCe
Would you consider this to be sexist? Would you find it offensive? Would you welcome wider parking spaces?
